Letters of Brigham Young to His Sons Book

The archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a rich collection of papers related to the life and activities of Brigham Young. A member of the Church since 1832 and an apostle after 1835, Brigham Young served as president of the Council of Twelve Apostles after the death of Joseph Smith in 1844 and in January 1848 was sustained as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young served as president until his death on August 29, 1877. Acknowledged to be one of America's great colonizers, Brigham Young was also governor of Utah Territory from 1850 to 1858, superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1851 to 1858, a founder of about 350 communities in the far west, and founder of several score business enterprises. A believer in the principle of plural marriage practiced by the Mormons during his lifetime, Brigham Young was the head of one of America's largest families. Sixteen of his wives bore him fifty-seven children. Of these children, forty-six grew to maturity, including seventeen sons and twenty-nine daughters. The Church Archives has more than one hundred letters written by Brigham Young to his children, including letters written to sons while they were away on proselyting missions for the Church, others written to sons who studied in eastern universities, still others written to sons away on business trips, and letters to two sons who were in the military service. The Church Archives has the responsibility of collecting and preserving manuscript materials related to the history of the Mormon people. It also has the responsibility of making available materials in the archives that would be edifying and informative. Among the most interesting of these pertaining to Brigham Young are his letters to his sons that are presented in this volume. Enjoying a warm relationship with his sons, Brigham Young gave them fatherly counsel through these letters. Much of this advice is as relevant today as it was when written a century ago.